


parallel on the other side.

by junfhongs



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, side!Chanyeol/Kyungsoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-18 08:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7306597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junfhongs/pseuds/junfhongs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baekhyun has no reason to believe in superstition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	parallel on the other side.

Cold feet meet smooth wood, padding through the hall. What is this trepidation? Why is there so much fear in every step he takes?  
  
The floorboards creek eerily as Baekhyun walks towards the mirror in the hallway. There are lights in this area of the house, illuminating the various family pictures of his deceased grandmother's descendants. He looks to his left and sees a picture of his family back when he was ten. The marks of fingers and grease have appeared over time, showing the fondness that his grandmother must have had for her son, Baekhyun's father.  
  
The last light in the hallway is right before a large mirror attached to the wall. Baekhyun isn't fond of ghost stories; he doesn't care much for "if you chant X in front of a mirror at midnight, Y will happen to you." He's not a man of superstition, and he certainly has no time to care about that.  
  
But he feels the pull, the tug in his heart that started when he first ran away from that mirror when he was twelve. They visited their beloved grandmother for her sixty-sixth birthday and Baekhyun wandered off from the dining room where they were to stay. He was always a restless boy, getting in trouble with the Park kid, who he considered his best friend, then and even now.  
  
The house was huge to the twelve year old's eyes, and it's still huge to the twenty-three year old who owns it. He ran around and gaped at all the paintings and pictures adorning the wooden walls, imagining that he was in the forbidden West wing of the castle, like Belle in Beauty and the Beast.  
  
Nobody asks why Baekhyun always imagines himself as the heroine and rarely ever the hero.  
  
When he reached the end of this particular hallway, young Baekhyun saw the gigantic mirror, framed in pristine, adorned wood. He spent so long admiring the etchings and designs on the frame before he looked at the reflection in the mirror and saw an image that was not his own.  
  
He ran away as far as he could, and when his mother started scolding him for wandering around without even telling anyone, Baekhyun simply took it in, mind still with the other boy that he saw in that mirror. Maybe he just saw it wrong? He moved too fast and the lights were a little dim; it's impossible that he saw someone else's reflection in that mirror.  
  
But he's never going to forget those high cheekbones, the bright eyes that could rival the spark in Baekhyun's, the smile that seemed to hit something in Baekhyun's heart. Even until now, when he's the one who owns this big old house, he still wants to see that boy again.  
  
He asked his grandmother about it when he was fifteen. His parents were both out on a business trip, and he was left with his grandmother instead of Chanyeol's place. His grandmother was a frail woman, but she smiled at Baekhyun and asked him to help her up. They walked to that one hallway with the giant mirror, and Baekhyun feels the familiar dread and fear creeping up when he sees the mirror again.  
  
"In this mirror, you're going to see your soulmate," his grandmother explains. She only chuckles at the disbelief in Baekhyun's eyes and stands in front of the mirror. Baekhyun sees his grandmother and not a wrinkly old man that he assumes would be his grandfather.  
  
"Hello Baekbom." Baekhyun gapes at her. "Your brother was named after your grandfather," she explains. His grandmother continues to talk to her reflection, and she looks positively crazy.  
  
Baekhyun steps a little closer to her and peeks at the reflection. He sees eyes that are not his own staring back at him, and he jerks back immediately, still too afraid to face those catlike eyes again.  
  
Baekhyun's eyes are closed as he finally steps into the light in front of the mirror. When he opens his eyes, he's fully prepared to see his own face and confirm that Cute Boy was just a hallucination induced by his youth.  
  
And then he sees Cute Boy, just as grown up and mature as Baekhyun is, smiling as if he's been waiting for Baekhyun all this time.   
  
And then the world spins.  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun wakes up and expects to be in his bed, but he's on the hallway carpet, cheek pressed against the floor. He sits up and sees Cute Boy sitting in front of him, staring at him with concern in his eyes.   
  
"There are carpet burns on your cheek." He then starts chuckling, and Baekhyun feels like fainting again.  
  
_Cute Boy is talking! The reflection is talking to me!_  
  
Baekhyun prolongs the word, standing up hastily. Cute Boy just looks up at him, amused at Baekhyun's panic. He narrows his eyes at the man sitting on the floor in the other side of the mirror. "Are you laughing at me?"  
  
"Yeah. You look pretty stupid, babe. Might want to rub that carpet burn before you go to work," Cute Boy tells him. Baekhyun glares at him and then he laughs.  
  
_This is ridiculous. Everything about this is ridiculous._  
  
He is not going to reply to some messed-up ghost in a messed-up mirror in this messed-up house. No more craziness! He loved his grandmother a lot, but he has no idea how she managed to seem sane after living in this creepy house all her life.  
  
Baekhyun runs to his room to shower and go to work. He's going to look at that mirror again later. Just not now. Not when he's about to be late for work and he's sort of questioning his sanity.  
  
  
  
  
  
Cute Boy perks up at the sight of Baekhyun in the hall. "Hey, babe. How was work?"  
  
Baekhyun groans, going into a room to pull out a plastic chair. If he's going to spend some time talking to his "soulmate", he might as well be comfortable. He sits in front of the mirror and watches Cute Boy stare at him with mirth in his eyes.  
  
"Why are you always smiling?" Baekhyun sneers.  
  
"Well, you make me happy. And you're really cute." He shrugs, as if tossing compliments like that is a completely normal thing. Baekhyun stares at him, curiosity taking over the cynicism and disbelief that this is actually happening.  
  
"What's your name?" he asks. That's being polite, right? Asking your soulmate what his name is?  
  
"I don't actually know." Cute Boy chuckles. "I'm whoever you want me to be. I'm whoever you know your soulmate will be."  
  
"Are you telling me I'm conceited? Is that why you know I'm cute and I'll make you really happy when I finally meet you?" Baekhyun laughs. "That's it, isn't it?"  
  
"At least you're honest." They both start laughing, and Baekhyun can see himself falling for this man. He can see himself laughing at the dumbest things beside this person and growing old with him and--  
  
Oh crap, now he's going crazy.  
  
"You're not crazy for seeing me, Baekhyun. Hell, you better be glad that you saw someone as hot me instead of an ugly lump like Chanyeol," Cute Boy says matter-of-factly.  
  
"You're exactly who I thought you'd be," Baekhyun muses dreamily. Cute Boy stares at him.  
  
"And you're really dumb. Didn't I just tell you that I'm who you think I would be?"  
  
Baekhyun scowls at him. "Can you talk less then?"  
  
"Sorry. The whole world knows that you need to be with someone who can balance out how annoyingly noisy you are."  
  
Baekhyun laughs, tipping his head back and shutting his eyes for a second. When he sits down properly and looks at his soulmate, he sees the fondness beneath those beautiful lashes again.  
  
"Chen," he suddenly says. "Can I call you Chen?"  
  
He merely shrugs. "Call me whatever name you want to scream tonight."  
  
"Chen," Baekhyun coos. "Chen Chen,  _Chennie baby--_ "  
  
"I swear to god, if you call me one of those names, I'm going to choke you," Chen grumbles.  
  
"Ooh, kinky." Baekhyun waggles his eyebrows and laughs obnoxiously when Chen rolls his eyes.   
  
"Go eat dinner, you big loser. I can't believe I'm in love with an idiot like you."  
  
Baekhyun feels his stomach grumbling and when he looks up to thank Chen for reminding him to eat, he's already gone. A feeling of devastation shocks Baekhyun's heart. Was he just being delusional for a few minutes? Is he going crazy?  
  
"I'm allowed to be hungry too, idiot. Go get some food and I'll be here if you still want to talk," he hears a voice say. Well, he may not see Chen, but he certainly finds his way to annoy Baekhyun still. What a beautiful relationship they're going to have.  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun comes home from work, toeing off his shoes in the lobby of the huge mansion his grandmother left him. He still doesn't know why he's the one who she gave it to; he never thought of having a big family and he's sure that his relatives would have more use for it than him. Still, it's his house now.  
  
_"Welcome home, babe."_  
  
Baekhyun freezes at the sound of someone's voice. He takes an umbrella and holds it like a baseball bat. This is an emergency situation! No one cares if he looks like an idiot!  
  
Then he remembers Chen and his panic melts away. Baekhyun drops the umbrella and walks towards the hallway where Chen must be waiting for him, laughing at how dumb he looked like just a moment ago.  
  
True enough, Chen's on the floor, giggling as soon as he sees Baekhyun. The other male sits down on the floor and leans on the wall close to the mirror so he can still see Chen.  
  
"How was work?" Chen asks, fiddling with a bracelet on his right wrist. Baekhyun's eye zooms on the accessory. Chen notices him staring.  
  
"Where did that come from?" Baekhyun asks cautiously. Chen chuckles.  
  
"Come on, Baekhyun. Don't pretend like you weren't going to give this to me once you thought we were ready for it."  
  
It's a bracelet that Baekhyun bought during a festival in school, back when he was thirteen. He thought of giving it to his crush back then, a senior named Kim Taeyeon. He was about to approach her and give it to her when he saw a brief flash of catlike eyes. He stepped back suddenly, hiding the small pouch holding the woven bracelet behind his back. He kept it hidden and protected for years, promising that he's going to give it to his soulmate, the one person who deserved his heart.  
  
And it does look great on Chen's wrist. It's as if the bracelet was meant to fit him and only him.  
  
"It looks good on you," Baekhyun says. Again, Chen looks at him so softly, as if every word that comes out of Baekhyun's mouth, be it annoying or not, goes straight to his heart.  
  
"Thanks, babe." Baekhyun snorts at the pet name. "Babe" is not his ideal choice, not at all.  
  
Chen smirks.  _"Babe,"_  he coos. "Baek baby--"  
  
"Stop. Please stop." Baekhyun cringes and stands up. "I'm going to eat dinner and stay as far away as possible from your disgusting pet names."  
  
He walks into the dining room with a smile on his face, Chen's laugh still ringing in his ears.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Do you believe in soulmates?" Baekhyun asks Chanyeol one day while they're having lunch. The tall man stares at him and shakes his head, wiping his mouth with a napkin.  
  
"If you tell me that you think you've found yours, I'm going to laugh at you." Chanyeol looks unimpressed by Baekhyun's sudden question.  
  
"I just... Can you go to my place first before you go home? I'll even drive and fetch you if you want me to," Baekhyun offers.  
  
"If this is a blind date, Baekhyun, I swear I am--"  
  
"It's not. I just need to show you something." Chanyeol sighs exasperatedly and nods.  
  
That night, as he drives Chanyeol to his house to show him the mirror, he feels his heart pounding with every turn he takes back to the old mansion. What if he really is crazy? What if there was no soulmate in the mirror and he became crazy by believing in his grandmother's superstitions?  
  
They walk through the empty hallways of the huge house that Baekhyun inhabits alone. He wishes that he heard the familiar  _"Welcome home, babe!"_  that Chen always shouts whenever he comes home. What greets Baekhyun is silence and the sound of his beating heart. It makes everything feel worse.  
  
"Look into the mirror." That's all Baekhyun says, and then Chanyeol screams.  
  
_"Is this some sort of joke?"_  he asks loudly. Chanyeol taps on the mirror. "It's not a LED screen or something, but why is there someone else I'm seeing? Why is it-- oh god."  
  
"Who do you see, Chanyeol?" Baekhyun asks calmly. Right now, he's just relieved that he isn't crazy.  
  
"Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo, Miss Joonhee's secretary," Chanyeol says quietly. He turns around, away from the mirror. It's obvious that he's in shock and he's completely spooked. "What  _is_  this, Baekhyun?"  
  
"My grandmother told me that instead of seeing your reflection in that mirror, you see your soulmate's. All you get is a face and a voice, and everything else is just a figment of your imagination. He's who you want him to be."  
  
"But I'm not-- I'm not  _gay,_  Baekhyun. I've never felt like that for any guy, especially not after what happened with..." Chanyeol's voice cracks at the thought of his one and only ex-boyfriend, someone he opened up to and someone who let him down so harshly. "I don't feel anything for my boss's secretary, Do Kyungsoo. I've known him for the past two years that we've been working at SM, and I'm pretty sure he's not my  _soulmate_ or whatever."  
  
Baekhyun sighs. "Just try, Chanyeol. You never know; maybe he is the one, but you never thought of looking at his direction."  
  
Chanyeol shakes his head. "This is one elaborate prank you've set up. I'm really not happy with it though."  
  
"Chanyeol, this isn't a prank. I'm serious." Baekhyun stands in front of the mirror and sees Chen staring at him concernedly. "I'm seeing a guy in this, and I have no idea who he is, but a part of me knows that we are meant to be. A part of me believes."  
  
"Well, I don't. I'm not-- no. I'm not talking to you about this."  
  
"Chanyeol! Can you try to think about this, though? Just try?" Baekhyun pleads. Chanyeol walks away from him, and Baekhyun slumps to the floor and sees Chen sighing in front of him.  
  
"You tried, Baekhyun. And that should be enough."  
  
"I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy, you know?" Baekhyun buries his head in his hands.  
  
"You're not crazy for wanting to believe that you'll find the one for you one day."  
  
"Are you telling me that I'll find you one day?" Baekhyun looks up and smiles at him.  
  
"Hey, I only tell you what you yourself know. You know that we'll find each other one day. Don't worry about that."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey Kyungsoo."  
  
Baekhyun perks up at the sound of Chanyeol's voice. Well, this is it. It's time to see if they really are soulmates.  
  
"Hey," Kyungsoo answers casually.  
  
"Do you, uh, want to go out for lunch? I know a great Italian place a block from here," Chanyeol offers. Kyungsoo shifts in his seat, slightly uncomfortable.  
  
"Sorry, Chanyeol. I brought food I cooked for lunch today."  
  
Chanyeol doesn't seem to be fazed by the rejection. "Well, you've been cooking lunch for the past two years. I want to take you out, come on."  
  
"I cook my own food because I actually  _can_  cook," Kyungsoo says confidently. Chanyeol huffs in response.  
  
"Excuse me, but I can cook very well, for your information."  
  
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes playfully. "Sure you can, Chanyeol. Must be why the only times I've ever seen you bring food to the office is when your mom stays over at your place."  
  
"I'm quite offended by this, Kyungsoo." Chanyeol smirks, seeing his chance. "How about I take you to lunch and we talk about my surprisingly great cooking skills and maybe I can cook dinner for you sometime?"  
  
Kyungsoo puts his food back in his bag and stands. "I can't resist that offer, I guess. I'd really like to know as much as I can about your so-called 'cooking skills'. That Italian place better be good or else I just wasted a good amount of kimchi fried rice."  
  
As they walk to the elevator, Kyungsoo suddenly stops Chanyeol. "Hey, is this your way of asking me out on a date?"  
  
Baekhyun snorts from behind his desk and looks away from Kyungsoo's glare.  
  
"If I tried the more direct approach, would you have said yes?" Chanyeol asks, a little more eager than how he hoped to sound like.  
  
"I like this method though. But to answer your question: I probably would have said yes no matter how you asked me." Kyungsoo hits Chanyeol's arm when the older male started to grin widely. "Come on, no time to be cheesy. Let's eat."  
  
Baekhyun lets out a sigh of relief when the elevator doors close and Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are out of sight. That entire conversation gave him enough hope to believe that the mirror might actually be telling the truth, that you really would see your one and only in it.  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun knocks on Chanyeol's door, excited to ask him about his dinner date with Kyungsoo over lunch in his mom's restaurant. He doesn't expect Kyungsoo to be the one opening the door, and he certainly didn't expect him to be in one of Chanyeol's shirts, hem only reaching his upper thigh and barely covering anything  _down there._  
  
"Hi Baekhyun," Kyungsoo says in a strangely sultry voice. He sees Chanyeol walking behind Kyungsoo to hug him, and they both look really fucked.  _Wow,_  Baekhyun thinks to himself.  _That was fast._  
  
"Hi? What happened here?" Baekhyun cringes at the identical grins that Chanyeol and Kyungsoo have. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I know what happened. Mind telling me how this escalated so quickly?"  
  
"I like guys who can cook," Kyungsoo says plainly, as if he isn't half-naked in front of one of his co-workers while another one looks like he's ready to eat him up. "Chanyeol cooks very, very well."  
  
"And I don't like games. We stopped playing around halfway through dinner and started  _playing around_ instead, if you catch my drift." Chanyeol laughs at the mild disgust on Baekhyun's face.  
  
"I'm... happy for you guys. But I really wasn't mentally prepared for this." Baekhyun rubs his temples. "I just wanted to treat you to lunch, Chanyeol. I'll take this as a no for today?"  
  
"Not today, Baekhyun. Kyungsoo isn't going home until after dinner, right?" He squeezes the smaller male's waist and Kyungsoo laughs, nodding gleefully.  
  
"I'm staying." He sounds so happy, it makes Baekhyun's stomach churn. How did all of this happen in one day? He'll have to ask Chanyeol about that tomorrow.  
  
"I'll see you two at work, preferably with more clothes on. Bye." Baekhyun waves goodbye at them, and before he closes the door, Chanyeol mouths an earnest  _"Thank you"._  Baekhyun nods in response. He's happy for them.  
  
It makes him wonder though: when is he going to meet Chen?  
  
  
  
  
  
"Do you know what would be really nice?" Baekhyun's on the phone with Chanyeol. They had to cancel their lunch plans again because Baekhyun got a magical fever the previous night and he isn't in the mood to get out of bed.   
  
_"What?"_  he asks irritably, probably wishing that he could go back to bed with Kyungsoo. Or maybe they still are in bed, and Chanyeol would like to do their usual  _other things_  in bed with him again. Baekhyun has never seen Chanyeol this excited over being with someone; it's ridiculous.  
  
"I'd like to meet my soulmate too. You're so lucky. You've known him for so long while I still have to wait for the right time before I ever see him for real."  
  
_"I can't say anything useful, to be honest. I guess I just got lucky with Kyungsoo."_  Baekhyun hears a faint _"oh yes you are"_  in the background and laughs. They are cute.  
  
When they hang up, Baekhyun finds the strength to stand up and walk to the mirror. Chen's waiting for him, concerned about his health. He sits down on the floor and lets Chen nag and tell him that he's too old to be getting sick for no reason, and all he can do is laugh in response. Chen is going to be a great addition to his life.  
  
  
  
  
  
The soulmate hunt is taking way too long. It's been nearly a year since Kyungsoo and Chanyeol hooked up, and now they're starting to move into each other's spaces. Sure, Kyungsoo may act completely professional during work hours, but as soon as those elevator doors close in front of them, he's back to being a homy bunny who came get enough of Chanyeol. Baekhyun's a direct witness of that.  
  
And there he still is, living alone in the big mansion, going home to a voice that he's sure is only made up in his mind. Chen is as real as his imagination can take him, and Baekhyun's starting to get tired of the wait.  
  
"Who's cooking tonight?" Chanyeol asks Kyungsoo in the elevator. They have their arms around each other's waists, staring into each other's eyes sweetly, and Baekhyun wonders why he chooses to take the elevator with them all the time.  
  
"You, obviously." Kyungsoo sounds so firm, and no one is surprised to hear that Chanyeol really is whipped when it comes to Kyungsoo.  
  
"But I cooked last night!" Chanyeol tries to win with a pout. Kyungsoo shakes his head and pats his cheek.  
  
"You topped last night." Chanyeol bows his head in understanding. "Let me fuck you tonight and tomorrow, I'll cook the pasta recipe I tried last week, okay?" Chanyeol nods eagerly.  
  
Baekhyun shakes his head.  _Whipped._  
  
His drive back home is as uneventful as the rest of his day. He fell back into his old life, the one without wonder, the one that he lived before he met Chen and often hoped that  _today would be the day,_  the day to meet his soulmate. It's not going to happen, certainly not any time soon.  
  
_"Welcome home, babe!"_  
  
It doesn't fail to bring a smile to his face though. It never fails to make him smile.  
  
"Hey," Baekhyun mutters. He pulls off his tie haphazardly and sits on the floor, leaning on the wall. Everyday, he comes home like this, and maybe it's just his imagination, but Chen looks tired too. Maybe he's starting to get impatient, wanting to be part of Baekhyun's life as more than a vision on a mirror.  
  
"Chen?" he says quietly, a little higher than a whisper. The reflection looks at him, eyes as teary as Baekhyun's. "Chen, I don't know if I can stay like this any longer. I don't know if I can keep waiting and waiting without ever knowing when I'll meet you. I want to see us play out, me and the real you. I want to see us being like Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. I want to see everything I've imagined about you and everything that you really are. I don't want to fall in love with an image of you, a mere perception. I want all of you."  
  
And then there's silence. Baekhyun hears the steady dripping from a leak in the ceiling inside one of the rooms. Baekhyun hears the cars passing by his house. Baekhyun hears everything except for what he really needs: Chen's voice.  
  
He  _needs_  Chen's voice assuring him that everything's going to be fine. He  _needs_  Chen's voice telling him that he's being stupid and he just has to trust in fate to bring them together. Hell, he even  _needs_  Chen to laugh at him, to tell him that he's not just being stupid, but he's always been stupid. Anything would be better than the hollow silence that he's surrounded in right now.  
  
"Baekhyun? Look at me, please."  
  
He looks up and Chen is sitting directly in front of the mirror. Baekhyun follows suit, eyes leveled straight to Chen's. Chen places his hand on the mirror, and Baekhyun can see his skin being pressed against it, like an invisible barrier.   
  
"You've never tried to touch the mirror, right? You've never tried to reach out to me?" Baekhyun raises his hand slightly, but then it twitches back onto his lap. "Baekhyun, I need you to reach out for me. Even just your hand. Please."  
  
Baekhyun places his palm against Chen's, and it hurts to feel a cold surface instead of the warm skin that he wanted to feel. It hurts to know that something's always going to be separating them like this.  
  
"Just like that. I need you to reach out for me, Baekhyun. We can't keep waiting; sometimes I really need you to reach out and look for me." Baekhyun nods, eyes teary as he stares at their hands on the mirror.  
  
Chen takes a deep breath. "I want you-- I  _need_  you to kiss me."  
  
_"What?"_  Baekhyun asks incredulously. "I'm going to look so stupid, Chen."  
  
"Please, Baekhyun. I need you to reach out for me. I need you to close your eyes and trust me."  
  
Baekhyun, hand still on Chen's, leans forward and presses his lips against the cold mirror. He feels stupid, but when he opens his eyes slightly, he sees Chen pressing against him, eyes closed as if he's trying to feel Baekhyun through the barrier that separates the two of them.  
  
Chen pulls away and so does Baekhyun. Their hands are still pressed together, and Baekhyun blushes at the fog on the mirror. It vanishes naturally, and the first thing that Baekhyun sees is Chen's huge smile.  
  
"Baekhyun, you reached out for me. And once you've done that, I need you to trust that I'll meet you halfway. I'll do everything that I can to see you too, to be with you."  
  
Baekhyun finally finds his reason to smile again. Chen is telling him that they're going to meet halfway. They're going to meet and they're going to fall in love and everything's going to be okay.  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun's busy fixing the code of the program he's using when he hears someone's chair scrape loudly. He pays no attention to it, annoyed with the sudden noise coming from the direction of Miss Joonhee's office.  
  
"Jongdae?" Kyungsoo says. "How have you been? How can I help you?"  
  
"I just want to meet with my sister," the person named Jongdae says. His voice is really too loud for the workplace. Baekhyun wants to snap at him, but at the thought of him being one of Joonhee's infamous younger brothers, he'd rather not get into any trouble.  
  
The voice sounds strangely familiar, but before Baekhyun can start thinking about it, Joonhee's irritated sigh rings out through the workplace. Baekhyun's used to being on the receiving end of that sigh, but he's still in good terms with his boss.  
  
"What do you want, Jongdae?" Joonhee asks exasperatedly.  
  
"Come on, noona. No greeting to your favorite younger brother?" Baekhyun can hear his pout and it's actually hilarious. He can't believe that Joonhee is actually the half-sister of this boy.   
  
"I think we've established that Jongin is my favorite younger brother." She sighs. "It's lunchtime. I'll feed you something in the pantry."  
  
Baekhyun chooses that time to look up, and he swears that his heart just stopped at the sight of Joonhee's younger brother.  
  
_Chen. It's Chen._  
  
They disappear into the pantry, and Baekhyun starts panicking for no reason. He sees Kyungsoo bringing out his usual boxed lunch, but Baekhyun rushes to him all of a sudden.  
  
"Kyungsoo, I need you to give me your lunch. Right now," Baekhyun says with a low voice. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.  
  
"We're not in middle school, and you don't look like a very threatening bully." Baekhyun groans in frustration.  
  
"Come on, Kyungsoo. Please? This is me trying to beg,  _please._ " Kyungsoo sighs and hands him the box of food. It's fried squid, and that's good enough for Baekhyun. All he needs is an excuse to go in the pantry and sneakily stare at Chen-- err,  _Jongdae,_  he means. That's going to take some getting used to.  
  
He takes the food and nervously walks into the pantry. He doesn't usually being food to work, and it's obvious with how everyone looks at him oddly. He sits down beside Sooyoung, having a clear view of Jongdae's face.  
  
_Wow, he's gorgeous._  
  
"Baekhyun, why are you here?" Joonhee asks. She looks... confused, to say the least.  
  
"I, uh, brought food?" Baekhyun says awkwardly, hyperconscious of Jongdae's eyes on him.  
  
"But you don't cook. Or bring food. Ever. It's quite strange." Jongdae starts chuckling, and Baekhyun almost hears the choir of angels at the real sound of that chuckle.  
  
Baekhyun blushes and rubs the back of his neck. "I'm allowed to have food!"  
  
"Yeah, noona. Leave him alone," Jongdae speaks up, and he shoots Baekhyun a wink while his sister isn't looking.  
  
Baekhyun doesn't have much of an appetite, but he eats quietly just to have an excuse to stay and listen to Jongdae's voice. It's much louder than what's necessary and so is Baekhyun's in general. They're going to mesh so well together.  
  
"It's Minhee noona's birthday today," Jongdae says. "We're going to have dinner at the house."  
  
"The house? You mean the first house, right?"  
  
"Of course, noona. Unless you'd like to go all the way to Bucheon just to have dinner at the second one."  
  
_Bucheon! He comes from Bucheon! That must be why I saw him in the festival,_  Baekhyun recalls.  
  
"Alright, I'm going," Joonhee answers. Jongdae beams at her, standing up to leave. Joonhee follows, shooting Baekhyun another confused look before they leave.  
  
Baekhyun lets out a sigh of relief. Jongdae is Chen. It's him. With the joking tone of his voice and his laughter and his huge smile, Baekhyun knows that it's him.  
  
He goes home that night with a smile on his face. The man in the mirror looks happier now, and Baekhyun wants to reach forward and hug him.  
  
"Didn't I tell you that I'd meet you halfway?"  
  
  
  
  
  
It's been a few weeks since Baekhyun first saw Jongdae, and now he's starting to get anxious again. When will he see Jongdae again? He can't just go up to his boss and say, "Hey, Joonhee. Is your younger brother single? I have reason to believe that might possibly be my soulmate."  
  
Miss Joonhee calls him into her office. Baekhyun's a little nervous, but he walks in anyway. "Yes, Miss Joonhee?"  
  
"Uh, this isn't work-related. I'm just Joonhee," she says awkwardly. "Do you remember my younger brother?"  
  
Baekhyun's heart stops. "Which one? The younger brother or the little devil?" The nickname was what Joonhee called Jongdae before. It was cute.  
  
"The little devil, Jongdae, yes."  
  
"I remember him, yeah. Why are you asking?"  
  
"I'm wondering if you might be interested in him. Like, if you want to go out on a date with him."  
  
Baekhyun wants to scream out  _"hell yeah, I want to date your brother!"_  but that would be a little weird. "Uh, I guess?"  
  
"That's great!" Joonhee chirps. "I told him we should go out and have dinner tonight, but I was really hoping you'd want to go out with him, even for just one date. His last boyfriend... well, let's just say their relationship ended really badly. He hasn't been dating ever since and I just felt sorry for him, you know?"  
  
"Why'd you choose me to set him up with?"  _Did you know that we're soulmates? That you are the manifestation of Fate pulling us together right now?_  
  
"You're single, and you need to go out there, Baekhyun. I know a lonely guy when I see one." Joonhee smirks.  
  
"You're mean." Baekhyun pouts at her. "How would you feel if I tell you that you look like a sad young lady who goes home and eats ice cream while watching TV drama reruns, huh?"  
  
"But I'm not. I really meant to go to dinner with Jongdae, but my boyfriend just got back from Canada and, you know, I miss him." Joonhee smiles at the thought of her time boyfriend of four years. They've survived the long-distance relationship problems and they're still going strong.   
  
"I'll text you the restaurant name and you should be there before seven, alright? I really want to surprise my brother." She stands up and hauls Baekhyun to his feet. That's quite impressive, seeing that she's only the same height as Baekhyun because of her three-inch heels.  
  
She pats his cheeks. "Look cute." He tries to smile. "Cuter!" He pulls out his cutest rectangle smile and Joonhee lets him go. "Much better. Now go wow my brother when he sees you tonight."  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun hasn't cleaned up this much in over a year. His eyeliner looks a hundred times better than usual, and he's trying to seem simple and clean and charming and totally  _not in love_  without even properly knowing the guy.  
  
_"Reservation for Kim Joonhee?"_  Baekhyun hears a voice say. The waiter leads Jongdae to Baekhyun's table, and he tries to smile when Jongdae chuckles in disbelief.  
  
"I didn't know my sister turned into a cute guy after a few weeks of not seeing her." Jongdae seems so nonchalant about being set up on a date all of a sudden. "It's a good thing I cleaned up tonight."  
  
"Really? I assumed that you're naturally that good-looking." Baekhyun's flirting game is not at it's best, but it still get Jongdae to laugh that cute laugh of his. "I didn't think that line would work."  
  
"Hey, it's not the line, it's who delivers it."  
  
"Don't you mean  _how_  it's delivered?" He doesn't want to look too much into the flirting, but Jongdae has to be interested, right? He's not hearing this conversation wrong.  
  
"No, no, I'm sure that I'm into  _who's_  delivering it."  
  
  
  
  
  
Jongdae is a fine specimen of perfect, Baekhyun concludes. They spent all night together, talking and talking about their jobs and their lives and their friends. Jongdae works as a singer, occasionally finding gigs at bars. He has a permanent slot on Thursdays in a bar though, and it's where his steady income comes from.  
  
He likes all the movies that Baekhyun likes and they both like the same bands and groups, and by the end of the night, Baekhyun finds himself truly falling for the real Kim Jongdae, his Chen in the mirror.  
  
"You know, my gig thing is tomorrow. I'd really like it if you come and watch me sing." Jongdae hands him his phone. "Can I get your number and I'll text you the address tomorrow?"  
  
"Can I bring some of my friends?" Baekhyun asks, wanting to bring Chanyeol and Kyungsoo along just in case things get awkward and he needs some backup. Then again,their entire night together has been great. He doesn't know how to be awkward with Jongdae.  
  
"As long as you don't bring my sister, I'll be fine." Baekhyun chuckles and gives him back his phone. A few seconds later, Baekhyun's phone rings. "That's me."  
  
Jongdae waves at Baekhyun. "I'll see you tomorrow, eh?"  
  
"Yeah. You better be great, Jongdae," he teases.  
  
"Trust me; I'll knock you off your seat." He winks and hails a cab, still waving before he goes in. Baekhyun walks to the parking lot with a smile on his face.  
  
He doesn't hear the usual greeting when he goes home, but when he goes to the hallway, he immediately sees Chen beaming at him.  
  
"How's that for a first date?" he asks.  
  
"It went pretty well. He's smitten, I can tell." Baekhyun laughs at the scoff on Jongdae's face, or is it Chen's? It confuses him now, but he's starting to let go of the vision in his mind.  
  
  
  
  
  
Aside from being perfect in almost everything, Jongdae is also  _godly_  in singing. It makes Baekhyun wish he was better so he could show Jongdae up on that too. After his set, Jongdae sits down beside Baekhyun, tightly pressed against him in the booth. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are busy getting each other drunk and making out, so they don't pay them much attention.  
  
"You were great!" Baekhyun exclaims, a little tipsy on tequila already. He's brave enough to place a hand on Jongdae's thigh and lean against him. Jongdae welcomes the contact though.  
  
"Really? You mean that?"  
  
Baekhyun's eyes soften at the raw eagerness in Jongdae's voice. "Of course I meant that. I'm only honest to you, Jongdae,"  
  
A rare moment of tenderness for Byun Baekhyun. Jongdae seems to appreciate it though, slinging an arm around his shoulder and taking down a shot of tequila within a second. Chanyeol looks at Jongdae and points at him.  _Is this the one?_  he mouths. Baekhyun nods at him and doesn't have enough time to explain before Jongdae gives him another shot and he's forced to down it quickly.  
  
They all get tipsy and Kyungsoo's definitely drunk at this point. "Don't you losers have work tomorrow?" Jongdae shouts through the music.  
  
"We've been through worse," Baekhyun says cheekily. He and Chanyeol have gone to their fair share of parties and gone through their more than fair share of hangovers, and they're used to this. They can totally survive this.  
  
"But I should go home though." Jongdae checks his watch and nods. "Yeah, I have stuff to do tomorrow."  
  
Baekhyun slides out of the booth with him. "I should go too."  
  
They walk out of the bar in silence, staying near the curb to hail a cab. Baekhyun's really,  _really_  tipsy, and Jongdae's lips look so nice and moist and cute.  
  
He holds Jongdae by the waist and presses their bodies against each other. "I want to kiss you. Can I kiss you?"  
  
Jongdae grins. "I'm not used to getting a kiss on just a second date. You're quite forward, Byun Baekhyun."  
  
"This was a date?" Baekhyun asks, his breath ghosting over Jongdae's lips. They're close, so close, and Baekhyun knows he's going to say yes. He knows that Jongdae wants this too, so why is he holding himself back?  
  
"Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were, or still  _are,_  very busy with each other, so I didn't really count their company. I considered this as a very nice second date." He places his hands on Baekhyun's arms. "So about that kiss..."  
  
Baekhyun doesn't hesitate when he leans forward and catches Jongdae's bottom lip, mouth molding to fit in the spaces around Jongdae's. The other man seems to enjoy using his teeth, and Baekhyun moans at the feeling of him nibbling at his lip. Hands tighten against his arms and slide up to cup the back of his neck. Baekhyun hugs his waist fully, chuckling against Jongdae's lips when he starts struggling in his arms.  
  
"Can't-- breathe--" Jongdae mutters, laughing against Baekhyun's shoulder when he finally loosens his grip.  
  
The cab honks its horn. They pull apart from each other, still laughing. "I'll text you," Baekhyun slurs, a little more tipsy on the taste of Jongdae's lips on his tongue.  
  
"Bye," Jongdae whispers, wiggling his fingers in a wave. He blows him a flying kiss and Baekhyun laughs.  
  
  
  
  
  
They're not dating. Wait, they are. But they aren't...  _boyfriends_  or anything like that. They go to each other's houses and watch movies and go to dinner and drink together and make out and that's it. They talk a lot about anything and everything, but they never ask each other what this is, what they are.  
  
Baekhyun doesn't really care. He gets to stare at Jongdae a lot and he's enjoying the casual relationship. He's enjoying what they are now, and it's not ruining anything for them.  
  
They're having a movie marathon tonight, and they're all cuddled up in the main entertainment room that Baekhyun uses. There are a lot of empty rooms in this mansion, and Baekhyun doesn't have the time to explore the rest of the house. He's leaning on Jongdae, cocooned in several blankets and pillows after they turned on the air-conditioning to its highest settings.  
  
They groan simultaneously when the doorbell rings. Baekhyun crawls out of their nest and pulls Jongdae with him. They walk to the front door slowly, and they're both surprised to see Chanyeol there, eyes red and face blotchy from crying.  
  
"Let's drink. Baekhyun, you're the designated driver. Let's go," he orders. The two boys have no choice but to follow wordlessly.  
  
Chanyeol spends the night getting drunk and being miserable about a fight he had with Kyungsoo. It seems to be a really small problem, but both of them magnified it into something much larger. Now Kyungsoo's sleeping at his place again and Chanyeol's here, getting drunk.  
  
They haul him up and out of his bar stool, tossing him into the backseat. "Let's take you home, buddy," Jongdae says.  
  
"No!" he yells. "Take me-- take me to Kyungsoo's apartment. Please."  
  
Baekhyun drives to Kyungsoo's building and helps Chanyeol to the elevator. They guide him to Kyungsoo's door and step back when he knocks loudly and Kyungsoo opens the door with a scowl.  
  
"What?" he asks harshly.  
  
"Kyungsoo, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making a small thing grow to a huge problem that it isn't. I love you, Kyungsoo, I wish I could say it every second of every day. I wish I could always show you that. I wish I could assure you that I want to be with you forever. I wish... I wish I was brave enough to tell you that I want to marry you, that I want to love you and tell everyone in the world about it. I don't even know why I'm saying it now," he laughs, "but I don't care. Getting drunk is the only way I could ever be brave enough to tell you how much I really love you.  
  
"Please forgive me. Please let me love you. Please, Kyungsoo."  
  
Kyungsoo looks like he's about to cry, and he pulls Chanyeol into his apartment. "Thank you, you two. I'll take care of him."  
  
They nod and leave them alone.   
  
The ride back to Baekhyun's house is quiet, and they're not used to it. The loud, public declaration of how much Chanyeol loves Kyungsoo was really... amazing. They don't know what to say.  
  
It's too late for Jongdae to go back home, so Baekhyun cleans up one of the guest rooms near his room. Jongdae stops him with arms wrapping around his waist from behind.  
  
"Hey, Baekhyun."  
  
"Yeah?" He feels Jongdae's heart beating against his back, and he drops the sheets he got from the closet to hold onto Jongdae's hands.  
  
"You know I like you, right? I really, really, really like you."  
  
Baekhyun turns around and kisses him. Similar to their first time, bodies pressed so closely to each other that they barely know whose body is whose; lips molding to the other's; heat spreading so quickly, it's like they have too much but just can't get enough. Baekhyun pulls him into his bedroom, stumbling while walking blindly. They laugh while kissing more, and Baekhyun lets out an unmanly squeak when Jongdae pushes him down on the bed.  
  
Jongdae crawls on top of him and smiles wickedly when he finds Baekhyun's sensitive spot on the side of his ribs. Baekhyun kicks his thigh and pulls him down in his arms. They grin at each other and kiss a little more and Baekhyun feels his heart melt a bit when he sees Jongdae falling asleep beside him, eyelids fluttering and a small smile still lingering on his lips. Baekhyun resists the urge to kiss him again, to seal the deal to himself that  _this is it,_  that he's really found the one.  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun grins when he sees Jongdae emerge from the elevator doors. He stands up to greet him when Joonhee pops up out of nowhere and hugs her brother.  
  
"Advanced happy birthday! Sorry I can't be there tomorrow; I'm going to surprise him by going to his apartment all of a sudden." Joonhee blushes and hugs her brother again.  
  
Baekhyun pulls Jongdae into a short kiss, grinning back at him when they pull away. Joonhee gapes at them.  
  
"Wait a minute.  _Wait a minute._ " She stares at them for another five seconds. "You're together? How long? How come you two never told me of this?"  
  
"I thought you told her!" Baekhyun accuses Jongdae. He shrugs, pointing at him.  
  
"If he told me, don't you think I would have given you the 'don't hurt my little brother' talk?"  
  
Baekhyun sighs. "Okay fine. We've been together for... four months? We've been dating ever since you set us up though."  
  
Joonhee shakes her head and groans. "You know what? Just have fun. Be happy. Whatever. I'll be pissed at you two some other time."  
  
Baekhyun clocks out and pulls Jongdae into the elevator before anyone can go in with them. "What's with the urgency?" Jongdae asks, petting Baekhyun's hair.  
  
"I need to show you something. It's really important." Baekhyun kisses him, his defense mechanism whenever he's afraid of something. Jongdae has a soothing effect on him, and he loves that about him.  
  
"Baekhyun, you're scaring me," he whispers, searching for Baekhyun's eyes. The older male shakes his head and kisses him on the cheek.  
  
"It's okay. Don't be afraid."  
  
  
  
  
  
Baekhyun turns on the lights of the hallway. "I need you to close your eyes and trust me." It's funny how he received those words with his voice before. It's funny how he still needs his strength from the man in the mirror.  
  
He leads Jongdae to the large mirror at the end and makes him face it. He takes a deep breath. "Open your eyes."  
  
Jongdae's eyes flutter open, and he jerks back at the sight of the reflection.  
  
"That isn't-- why are there two reflections of you? Where...? What's going on?" He taps on the mirror. "This is impossible."  
  
"Jongdae, calm down. I can explain." Baekhyun holds his hands. "This mirror... It shows you your soulmate, the person you're meant to be with forever. Right now, I can tell you that I see your reflection there, facing me and smiling at me. I can also tell you that I've know that you were the one for me  _months_  before we first actually met. I've been waiting and waiting and I felt like there was no point in this anymore, but your face and your voice gave me hope. I believed and I waited... and then I found you."  
  
Jongdae looks at him like he's crazy, but then he turns towards the mirror. He looks like he's paying attention to what he's seeing, what he might be hearing. And then he looks at Baekhyun again and kisses him roughly, frantic and desperate. When he pulls away, they're smiling at each other like how they always do.  
  
"I..." Baekhyun pulls out the pouch from his back pocket.  _Now or never._  
  
"I bought this when I was thirteen. I wanted to give it to my crush before, but then I thought I saw you, or your eyes, specifically. I saw those eyes in that mirror, and I knew that this was meant for someone who really mattered to me. My soulmate. You."  
  
Jongdae takes the bracelet out of the pouch and puts it on, woven band fitting perfectly on his wrist. Chen, the Jongdae in the mirror, smiles at Baekhyun. "You were right. It does look good on me."  
  
Jongdae hugs him tightly, closing his eyes when Baekhyun leaves a soft kiss on the side of his neck. "Would it be too sudden... if I tell you that I love you?" Baekhyun beams.  
  
When they pull away, Baekhyun holds the wrist with the bracelet on it. "Advanced happy birthday, Jongdae. I love you."

 

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on 12/06/2014 in [junfhongs @ lj](http://junfhongs.livejournal.com/25925.html)
> 
> follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/amenochieien)!!!


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